The British Horseracing Authority has set aside two packed weekends of flat action, if racing is allowed to return later this month.
Trainers in the UK and Ireland remain hopeful that racing will return in May, but that depends on government decisions on whether the sport is safe to resume during the current coronavirus pandemic.
If they are given the thumbs up for the middle of May, then the BHA are planning for a number of big flat races to take place on May 23-24 and May 30-31, ahead of the Qipco 2,000 and 1,000 Guineas on the first weekend of June.
Races such as the Craven Stakes, Nell Gwyn, Brigadier Gerard and Sagaro Stakes are pencilled in to happen on the weekend of May 23-24, with the prospect of the Lockinge, Yorkshire Cup, Dante and Middleton Stakes taking place the following weekend.
In a statement to stakeholders, the BHA said: “Under our best-case scenario planning, and subject to advice from public health authorities, the aim is to rescue a number of lost events from the early part of the spring and stage them during the second half of May and early June, if possible.
“It is possible that the races may not be staged at their traditional venues and may need to be hosted at alternative racecourses. It is also likely that racing will be restricted to domestic runners only, initially at least until May 30.”
The latest update comes on the same day that the BHA’s chief medical adviser, Dr Jerry Hill, and other leading sports figures meet government officials to discuss how action could safely return when approved.
